Wednesday, August 12, 2015

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker today signed off on a settlement agreement between ExxonMobil and several state and federal entities concerning the 2013 rupture of the Pegasus pipeline in Mayflower. The news is a setback for Central Arkansas Water, which has been fighting make the terms of the consent decree tougher.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Central Arkansas Water has objected sharply to a proposed consent decree to settle a state and federal lawsuit over the rupture of the Exxon Mobil Pegasus pipeline that inundanted a Mayflower neighborhood with heavy crude oil.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Despite the settlement today, litigation related to the 2013 Mayflower oil spill is nowhere near its conclusion. ExxonMobil faces additional legal action from state and federal public agencies charged with protecting natural resources in Arkansas under what's called a Natural Resources Damages claim.

A consent decree will be filed this morning in federal court in which ExxonMobil agrees to pay civil penalties, fund an environmental project and take other corrective steps in response to alleged violations of environmental laws in the 2013 rupture of the Pegasus pipeline that produced a damaging spill in Mayflower.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Plaintiffs for Mayflower landowners say that shows the company knew in advance that the existing Pegasus — which ruptured in 2013 — was nearing the end of its lifespan. Exxon attorneys, however, insist that the proposed Texas Access Pipeline was never intended to replace the older pipeline.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Federal Judge Biran Miller has agreed that a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil over the Mayflower pipeline oil break can be tried as a class action, though he limited the class somewhat from the original group sought.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

By putting the focus on atypical pipe properties and away from a well-known manufacturing defect of the type of pipe used in the northern section that includes Arkansas, it would seem that Exxon is casting the rupture as caused by a rare flaw.

Today's headlines: Special interests rule in Arkansas

Monday, March 31, 2014

The Clinton School hosted a panel discussion Monday afternoon commemorating the one year anniversary of ExxonMobil’s oil spill in Mayflower. In attendance: Congressman Tim Griffin, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, Tammie Hynum of ADEQ, Graham Rich of Central Arkansas Water (CAW), and Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson, with Dean Skip Rutherford moderating. (Rutherford said that Exxon had been invited to send someone as well.) It was a packed house; public interest in the incident and the future of the ruptured Pegasus pipeline evidently remains high, in no small part because the line just south of Mayflower crosses 13 miles of watershed that drain into Little Rock’s major drinking reservoir, Lake Maumelle.

Karen Tyrone, vice president and operations manager of Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co., said that the remediation plan that Exxon plans to submit to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) outlining why the Pegasus pipeline ruptured and how Exxon will ensure that it doesn't break again will take at least a year to execute.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

In town for the one-year anniversary of the Mayflower spill, Exxon VP Karen Tyrone trumpeted the lack of ecological risk in Mayflower. Game and Fish disagrees. Meanwhile, Central Arkansas Water is hoping to find out more about Exxon's plans to restart the Pegasus. The southern section of the line could reopen any day now.

It’s been almost a year since the Pegasus pipeline spilled an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil in Mayflower. After months of back-and-forth, a final environmental report from ExxonMobil to state regulators appears to be complete. But though the science behind the report is sound, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Ricky Chastain said its overarching conclusions about ongoing ecological risk are flawed.

Monday, January 6, 2014

In the wake of the Mayflower oil spill, the federal agency that regulates pipelines set conditions for ExxonMobil to meet before it can restart its ruptured Pegasus pipeline. Nine months later, Exxon hasn't gotten very far.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer was in Little Rock and Mayflower on Tuesday for meetings on the Mayflower oil spill. He sees the disaster as a way to confront the Keystone XL question on a personal level.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Here's part two of "Shattered by Oil: Exxon Arkansas Spill and the People Left Behind," featuring Elizabeth McGowan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who covered the aftermath of the Pegasus pipeline rupture thanks to donors who contributed to a crowdfunding effort by the Times and InsideClimate News.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Check out part one of "Shattered by Oil: Exxon Arkansas Spill and the People Left Behind." It's a co-production between our news partner, InsideClimate News and PBS' "This American Land."
InsideClimate News' Elizabeth McGowan plays host.

Friday, November 1, 2013

U.S. District Judge James Moody has scheduled the trial date for the joint complaint brought by the state of Arkansas and the U.S. government against ExxonMobil Pipeline Company and Mobil Pipeline Company. A pre-trial conference will happen Feb. 13, 2014, with the trial scheduled to begin the following day.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Seven more lawsuits were filed today against ExxonMobil-related defendants over damages caused by the ruptured Pegasus pipeline that drenched a Mayflower subdivision and part of Lake Conway with heavy Canadian tar sands laced with other dangerous chemicals.

The Los Angeles Times reports on the sagging casino economy in Tunica, Miss., a sag due in part to increasing national competition.

Sen. Jason Rapert has announced on Facebook his plans to file this week a so-called trigger law — like those passed in four other states — that would make abortion illegal in Arkansas immediately if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Polling suggests the majority would oppose it.

The annual abortion protest marches were held around the country Sunday and, as usual, press accounts duly quoted the misinformation repeated there. From the coverage of the Arkansas march, this stood out:

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has made several public appearances today as part of the observance of King Day and his remarks have included lauding the state's 2017 action (and his own) in ending the dual observance of King's birthday with that of a man who fought to preserve slavery, Robert E. Lee. I have one brief observation on his remarks: